Steam cylinder oil



Patented Apr. 13, 1943 STEAMT CYLINDER OIL Frederick H. MacLarcn, Calumet City, Ill.,

signor to Standard Oil Company, Chicago, IlL, a corporation of Indiana No Drawing. Application June 2'1, 1940, Serial No. 342,683

14 Claims.

This invention relates to lubricants for valves or other mechanical parts that are exposed to steam, such assteam cylinder oils and the like.

The object of the present invention is to provide a lubricant which will withstand severe operating conditions, which will maintain a continuous resistant lubricating film on and between the metal surfaces to be lubricated and which will provide superior lubrication with minimum oil consumption. A further object is toprovide a lubricant which will increase the efficiency of steam engines or'compressors in which it is used. A further object is to provide a lubricant of the type described which is stable and which is unlikely to decompose and separate out. Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent as the detailed description of the invention proceeds. v

My improved steam cylinder oil comprises a blend of about 55% to about 81.8% of a heavy lubricating oil such as for example heavy steam ,refined oil,,from about 3% to about 14% of a fatty-material such as lard oil, tallow oil, hydrogenated ,fat or similar material from about 0.2% to about 1% of a component capable of reducing the drop size of the lubricant such as sperm oil, aluminum stearate or lead soaps, for instance lead oleate, lead fish oil soap or the like, and from about 15% to about 30% of a synthetic lubricating oil of the type hereinafter described.

The synthetic oil is obtained by the polymerization of isomono-olefins such as isobutylene or hydrocarbon mixtures containing the same in the presence of a catalyst. such as boron fluoride, aluminum chloride, zin c chloride or other similar active halide catalyst adapted to promote the Friedel-Crafts synthesis, at a temperature of from about F. to about 100 F. Co-polymers formed by the polymerization of mixtures of olefins, preferably of an iso-olefin such as isobutylene with other olefins of the same or a difi'erent number of carbon atoms per molecule, are also suitable for this purpose. In the preparation of this synthetic oil I may employ liquid isobutvlene or a hydrocarbon mixture containing the same, such as for example a butane-butylene fraction recovered from petroleum gases, especially those gases produced in the cracking of petroleum oils for the manufacture of motor fuels. This light fraction may contain from about to about isobutylene, the remalnder being principally butanes and normal butylene.

The synthetic o l maybe prepared. for example. by maintaining the liquid isobutylene or in temperature due to the heat of reaction may be avoided by efl'lcient cooling. To facilitate agitation of the mixture and to control the reaction temperature I prefer to employ a light diluent such as hexane, liquid butane, liquid propane and the like. By effecting the evapora tion of the light diluent efficient cooling and control of the reaction temperature is obtained. After polymerization of the isobutylene the reaction mass is neutralized, the oily polymer layer separated from the sludge and the polymers subsequently separated from the unreacted light hydrocarbons by distillation.

The synthetic polymer obtained asabove described is subsequently fractionated by first-introducing the same into a flash towerimaintained at the lowest pressure commercially feasible, for

the hydrocarbon mixture containing the same under pressure and cooling the same to a temperature for example of about 32 F. and introducing from about 0.1% to about 2% of boron fluoride with vigorous agitation. Excessive rise example from about 1 to about 6 inches of mercury, and at a temperature of from about 400 F.- to about 600 F. wherein the polymer is flash distilled and the vapors removed overhead for subsequent fractionation. The unvaporizedportion in the flash tower which is the material I prefer to use, and refer to herein as flasher bottoms, is withdrawn from thefiash tower. The flasher'bottoms have a Saybolt Universal viscosity at 210 F. of from about 1500 seconds to about 4000 seconds, an A. P. I. gravity of from about 23 to about 26, a flashot from about 510 F. to about 570 F. and a molecular weight of from about 1000 to about 1500.

Having described the constituents of my improved valve oil the following formulae will ex- :mplify a preferred embodiment of the invenion:

'/ L'rample Preferred Preferred range Percent Percent Sperm oil 0.5 0.2-'i.0 Prime lard oiL. 5 3.04.4.0 Steam refined oil. 74. 5 55.0-81. 8 Flasher bottoms 1 20 15. 0-30. 0

In th above firmula the steam refined oil maybe a, heavy steam refined Mid-Continent lubricating oil having a flash point of about 530 F. and a Saybolt Universal viscosity at 210 F. of about 1'75 to about 200 seconds. Instead of using a Mid-Continent steam refined oil I may use a heavy Pennsylvania steam' refined oil or a heavy steam refined oil from Wyoming crude oils, or I may use mixtures of these heavy steam refined oils. For example, a suitable blend is one comprising about 47% of a heavy steam refined oil from Wyoming crude and about 27%% of a heavy Pennsylvania steam refined oil having a Saybolt Universal viscosity of about seconds at 210 F.

The inspection of the valve oil exemplified by the above preferred formula is as follows:

In the lubrication of compressors, steam englnes and similar apparatus it is the common practice to supply the oil through a dropper or a hydrostatic lubricator, and it is therefore of extreme importance that the drop size be uniform and constant. Valve oils having the composition herein described have .a drop size which is uniform and constant and of such size to provide the maximum effective lubrication with a minimum consumption of oil.

While I have described in detail a preferred embodiment of my invention, it is to be understood that I do not wish to limit myself to the specific materials and proportions above-stated except as defined by the following claims.

I claim:

1. A cylinder oil comprising a major proportion of a heavy lubricating oil, small amounts of a fatty oil, and a drop size reducing agent,-and at least about. 15% of an isobutylene polymer having a molecular weight within the range of from about 1,000 to 1,500.

2. A cylinder oil comprising about 55% toabout 81.8% heavy steam refined lubricating oil, about 00 to about 1.500.

3. A cylinder oil comprising the following approximate composition by weight percentage:

4. A cylinder oil comprising the following ingradients in the approximate proportions by weight percentage:

. Per cent Sperm oil 0.5 Lard oil 5.0 Steam refined oil 74.5 Iso-mono-olefin polymer "flasher bottoms"- 20.0

5. A cylinder oil as described in claim 4 in which the drop-size reducing agent is sperm oil. 6. A cylinder oil as described in claim 4 in which the dropsize reducing agent is aluminum stearate.

7. A cylinder oil as described in claim 4 in which the drop-size reducing agent is lead soap.

8. A cylinder oil comprising about 55% to about 81.8% heavy lubricating oil, about 3% to about 14% fatty material, about 0.2% to about 1% of a drop-size reducing agent and about 15% to about 30% of an iso-mono-olefln polymer having a molecular weight withinthe range of from about 1,000 to about 1,500.

9. A cylinder oil as described in claim 8 in which the drop-size reducing agent is sperm oil.

10. A cylinder oil as described in claim 8 in which the drop-size reducing agent is aluminum stearate.

11. A cylinder oil as described in claim 8 in which the drop-size reducing agent is a lead soap.

12. A cylinder oil comprising about 55% to about 81.8% heavy lubricating oil, about 3% to about 14% fatty material, about 0.2% to about 1 of a drop-size reducing agent and about 15% to about 30% of an iso-mono-olefin polymer having a Saybolt Universal viscosity at 210 F. of from about 1, 00. seconds to about 4,000 seconds.

13. A cylinder oil comprising a major proportion of a heavy lubricating oil, small amounts of a fatty oil, and a drop-size reducing agent and at least about 15% of an iso-mono-olefln polymer having a Saybolt Universal viscosity at 210 F. of from about 1,500 seconds to about 4,000 seconds.

14. A cylinder oil comprising a'major proportion of a heavy lubricating oil, small amounts of a fatty oil, and a drop-size reducing agent and at least about 15% of an iso-mono-olefln polymer having a molecular weight within the range of from about 1,000 to about 1,500.

FREDERICK H. MACLAREN.

CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION. H: Patent no. 2,316,511.7- April 1 1915. FREDERICK H. HacLAREN.

It 16 hereby certified that error appears in the printed specificeticm 101 the above mnnbered patent requiring correction as follows: Page 2, sec- 0nd column, lines 9, 11 and 114., for "claim 14." read. -cleim 2--; that the said. Letters Patent should. be read with this correction therein that theeame may conform to the record of the case in the Patent Office.

Signed. and sealed this 1st day of June, A. D. 1915.

Henry Van Arsdale, (Seal) Acting Conmissioner of Patents. 

